What Are Black Diamonds and Should You Buy Them?

We are all used to thinking of diamonds as white, sparkling stones, but did you know that there are also black diamonds? Are those stones real diamonds, and if yes, aren’t they really low quality?

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Are Black Diamonds Real Diamonds?

Black diamonds are as real as white diamonds but are not as common. It should be noted, though, that there are diamonds whose color has been artificially changed to black. There are, however, genuine black diamonds that occur naturally.

How Natural Black Diamonds Are Formed

Natural black diamonds, also called “carbonado”, can only be found in Brazil and Africa.

Although these stones have the same chemical composition as white diamonds, their crystal structure is different and they have many inclusions, causing them to differ in color.

There are different hypotheses as to how black diamonds were formed – some say that they were created within the earth under high pressure; others think that they came from space, on an asteroid that fell to earth some 2 million years ago.

Are Black Diamonds Low-Quality Stones?

Actually, the color of natural black diamonds is not only due to their inclusions but also due to their unique structure, which affects how they reflect light, most of which is absorbed by the stone.

Lab-created black diamonds, on the other hand, owe their color to their treatment, not their structure. Whether the original diamond whose color was changed was a high quality stone is another story, though.

Since black diamonds are usually cheaper, it is highly unlikely that a jewelry dealer would take an expensive white diamond of the highest quality and change its color just to sell it for less money.

But do you really care what the clarity, color, or cut of the original stone was when none of these characteristics affect its appearance once it’s black?

Regardless of their origin, such stones will have a very low clarity grade simply because of their color and structure.

However, keep in mind that the traditional quality guidelines used to evaluate white diamonds are not really applicable to black diamonds. That’s why the term “low quality” is not very meaningful when used for these stones.